Kelowna city council has given the green light to provide three free parking spaces to the new Okanagan Car Share Co-op.
The spaces, two downtown in the city’s Memorial Arena parking lot and one in the city’s Osprey Avenue parking lot in the South Pandosy area, will provide the new car share co-op with places to park their vehicles.
The co-op, which expects to start operation this month, will have members whose membership fees help buy cars for all members to share.
City regional programs manger Jerry Dombrowsky said car share co-op programs are supported by seven different city plans and giving up the spaces will not cost the city much money.
While the Memorial Arena lot charges a total of $5,500 each per year for the two spaces, the Osprey lot stalls are free.
Dombrowsky said there are plenty of other city lots in the downtown area that drivers can use if the Memorial Arena lot is full.
The Okanagan Car Share Co-op, which has received a grant from the city to help get it started, plans to start with two cars and add a third in the fall.
The fee spaces are good for a year and will be reviewed next year as the Memorial Arena lot is to become the site of the city’s new $14 million Ellis Street parkade in 2015.
